Cedar Rapids schools need leadership

I was born and raised in Iowa. After a few years in Missouri and Kansas, my wife and I came home to Cedar Rapids to raise our family. We’ve been here ever since, with eight children who all attended Cedar Rapids schools.

Over the years, I’ve been deeply involved as a parent and volunteer — coaching a MathCounts team, teaching a high school programming class, helping with show choir costumes, selling concessions, and even substitute teaching when my schedule allowed.

That’s why it troubles me to see our schools facing a leadership crisis. In 2023, the school board voted unanimously to hire the current superintendent, despite serious concerns from her previous district. She resigned midyear, just before a new board took office, and her former district continued paying her salary for two years after she was hired here.

That same year, the district pushed a bond issue that would have created a centralized middle school along Highway 100, moving away from neighborhood schools. The community rejected the plan — the bond failed to receive even 40% of the vote required to pass. Instead of recognizing that families value neighborhood schools, the district later used $7.5 million from the PPEL levy to buy land for the same school voters had already rejected.

More recently, the district attempted to roll out Freshman Academies and Career Pathways. Parents felt blindsided, and meetings grew tense when administrators couldn’t answer basic questions. Teachers were also left in the dark. The district finally delayed implementation after strong pushback from the community.

The district’s own surveys show that morale is low, and educators cite a culture of fear. When teachers don’t feel heard, our students ultimately pay the price.

I was shocked when the board unanimously voted to extend the superintendent’s contract. That was the moment I decided to run for the school board. I’m also opposing the Nov. 4 bond issue, not because I oppose investment in our schools, but because passing it now would send the wrong message — that the community approves of the district’s current leadership and direction.

If I’m elected, I will not be a rubber stamp for the superintendent. I will listen to the community, respect the voices of parents and teachers, and work to rebuild the trust that has been lost. Cedar Rapids deserves school leadership that serves the people — not the other way around.

David Chung is a candidate for Cedar Rapids school board District 2.